


Even Dragon and Monkey Can Fall In Love (No Matter How Painful It Becomes)

by Illusinia



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, child's story, fairytale, father!fitz, someone is dead in this, warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2014-09-23
Packaged: 2018-02-18 11:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2347193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illusinia/pseuds/Illusinia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I want to hear about Dragon and Monkey again,” declared Mel, curling a little further into her blankets.</p><p>“Dragon and Monkey,” repeated Leo with a soft smile, shifting around so he could lean on the headboard. It helped with the pain in his shoulders and back from working all day. “And which story do you want to hear? Will it be the story of how Dragon and Monkey helped their friends defeat the Storm Wizard? Or do you want to hear the one where Monkey and Dragon help the Panda save his friend?”</p><p>“Can you tell me the one where Dragon and Monkey fall in love?” requested Mel softly, curling slightly into his side. </p><p> </p><p>Fitz tells his little girl a story about a dragon and a monkey who fall in love (and tells her how he won her mother's affection in the process)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even Dragon and Monkey Can Fall In Love (No Matter How Painful It Becomes)

**Author's Note:**

> So, a few things before this starts. First of all, I don't know how this became what it did, and for that I apologize. It was supposed to be a bit sadder, more mysterious, etc. It didn't happen, clearly. Second, please keep in mind that the story Fitz tells is for a six year old. It's abrupt because they don't have the best attention spans. Third, I will post a full list of who is what at the end of the story, but see if you can figure out which human is which person.
> 
> The list of animals is as follows: monkey, dragon, panda, crane, cat, dog, hare, snake.
> 
> Alright, that's enough of that. Enjoy!

“Leo, someone is looking for you.”

 

Leo spun slightly on his stool, glancing back at his visitors with a small smile. Jemma leaned in the workshop doorway as his daughter came running into the lab, her mother's dark hair hanging down her back in a braid that must have been Jemma's doing; it was too neat for her to have done herself. The little girl half jumped, half climbed into his lap like the little monkey he always said she was, blinking up at him with her mother's wide, dark eyes.

 

Automatically, he reached out to catch her, balancing her carefully to ensure she wouldn't fall. This wasn't exactly a routine, but he could guess what had brought his little girl to the lab. A glance at the clock confirmed his suspicions: 8:30, bed time and thus story time.

 

“Hi Daddy,” greeted his little girl, a smile almost identical to her mother's breaking across her face. There were bits of him mixed in with her mother- the shape of her nose, her ears, the slight curl to her hair. But even with those bits of him, she was the spitting image of her mother.

 

“Hey Mel,” greeted Leo in return, shifting around so he could stand up. He knew she would want to be carried up to her room and he would indulge her as always. Eventually she'd be too big for him to carry her, and then he knew he'd miss being able to. “Are you ready for bed?”

 

“Yes Daddy,” assured Mel, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning forward to rest her head on his shoulder. “Can you tell me a story tonight?”

 

“Always lintie,” replied Leo, dropping a kiss to Mel's head. Carefully, he balanced Mel in one arm and quickly put his things away. He'd been at work for what felt like the entire day trying to prepare a new set of tools for an operation beginning next week and it was only because of Jemma he was able to do that. Thankfully, he'd finished for the night, so he could take over putting his daughter to bed.

 

Turning back to Jemma, he offered her a thankful smile as he headed for the door. He paused on his way out to give her a one-armed hug, made slightly awkward by the fact he was still carrying Mel.“Thank you, Jemma. I needed to get this done.”

 

“I know,” assured Jemma with a laugh, returning his hug briefly before stepping back. Her arms shifted over her rounding stomach, fingers dancing over her baby bump restlessly as she tended to now. “Just because Coulson doesn't let me in the lab, doesn't mean I don't know what's going on. Now, go tell her a story. You know she won't sleep without one.”

 

“I know,” chuckled Leo, glancing at Mel who just grinned in response. He shook his head, hugging Mel tighter for a moment; she might get in mischief, but her mother had done the same and he was more than willing to deal with her mischievousness. It always made him smile. “She loves her mischief too much to give it up.”

 

Jemma just laughed, shaking her head. “Of course she does. Now go, she always wants a story before bed and those often take a while.”

 

“True,” sighed Leo, again offering Jemma the grateful smile. “Night Jemma.”

 

“Goodnight Leo,” parted Jemma, turning to head down towards the kitchen. Her cravings were a bit insane and he knew she was going for a snack before bed. She did that almost every night, largely because her concoctions frequently made everyone else want to gag.

 

Heading towards the stairs to the living quarters, he continued to balance Mel as he carefully climbed up to the upper floors. The rooms for the original team were separate from everyone else's, located on a floor much higher up. It made sense, of course; they were like a small family. Everyone protected each other, at whatever cost. Leo felt his heart clench a little at the thought, but forced it away. Now was not the time to think about such things.

 

The walk was silent, though he knew Mel wasn't asleep. She never fell asleep so easily. It almost always took a story for his little princess to fall asleep, and it had to be him telling it. He didn't mind that one bit, either. It was nice to have the daily time with his daughter. To always get to see her right before she went to bed.

 

Reaching Mel's room, Leo gently pushed the door open and set her down. Automatically, Mel hopped across the room and crawled into her bed, nestling into the covers. Leo followed behind her, picking up some of the toys scattered across the room as he went and tossing them aside to create a path. He didn't want to trip when he was leaving.

 

When Mel was settled and he'd ensured his foot wouldn't end up with a lego through the bottom, Leo carefully perched on the edge of her bed and tucked the blankets gently around her. She just curled further into her bed, buried between her two favorite stuffed animals: a monkey she snuggled at night and a dragon that she insisted sleep along her back. The sight was bitter-sweet and always made his heart clench. “So, which story do you want to hear tonight?”

 

“I want to hear about Dragon and Monkey again,” declared Mel, curling a little further into her blankets.

 

“Dragon and Monkey,” repeated Leo with a soft smile, shifting around so he could lean on the headboard. It helped with the pain in his shoulders and back from working all day. “And which story do you want to hear? Will it be the story of how Dragon and Monkey helped their friends defeat the Storm Wizard? Or do you want to hear the one where Monkey and Dragon help the Panda save his friend?”

 

“Can you tell me the one where Dragon and Monkey fall in love?” requested Mel softly, curling slightly into his side.

 

Leo felt tears press at his eyes, the thought of that story making his chest clench. It was her favorite story, but one he could rarely bring himself to tell. Still, when his daughter looked at him with her mother's eyes, he couldn't resist. Offering her a faint smile, he settled further against the headboard. “Alright, I guess I can tell that one.”

 

“It's my favorite,” reminded Mel, her little arm reaching back to grab her stuffed dragon.

 

“I know,” assured Leo with a faint chuckle. He waited for a moment until Mel finished shifting her stuffed animals around before he began. The break was a good reprieve for him; when he started the story this time, his voice didn't crack even as the familiar pain began to swirl inside.

 

“Years ago, there was a Monkey who loved to tinker with anything that could move,” began Leo, “and a beautiful Dragon who could take down any man who chose to challenge her.” He paused, the memory of 'Dragon' striking him like a punch to the gut. Beautiful hadn't described her, but he didn't have a better word. “Dragon and Monkey lived on a floating island with their friends and they flew around helping everyone they could be safe from the evil Hydra.”

 

“They were smarter than the Hydra,” added in Mel, smiling slightly up at her father. “The Hydra couldn't win against the friends because they worked together.”

 

Chuckling, Leo tugged his daughter a little closer, the pain in his chest easing just for a moment. “Exactly right. Well, Dragon and Monkey were friends, but Monkey had long been enchanted by Dragon. And as time wore on, he fell more and more in love with his friend. But after Dog revealed he was working for Snake-”

 

“Who worked for the Hydra,” added Mel, snuggling closer to Fitz. “But Dog came back once he had felt he deserved to come back.”

 

“He did,” confirmed Leo with a watery chuckle. He knew Mel was trying to make him feel better; his daughter was as brilliant and observant as her mother had been. “Do you want to tell the story tonight?”

 

“No Daddy,” replied Mel, settling more fully into her bed. “You tell it.”

 

“Alright then,” chuckled Leo, draping an arm around his daughter. “Well, after Dog left, Monkey found he didn't feel like he could wait any longer. So, he decided to find a way to tell Dragon how he felt...”

 

\-----------------------------

 

“Come on, come on, there must be something I can make her,” muttered Monkey as he paced inside his workshop. His tail swiped slightly through the air with each step, belying his aggravation. “She doesn't seem to like clutter...something useful?”

 

Across the room, Crane fluttered a little as she settled before her all-seeing mirror. “You could build her a weapon.”

 

“But she doesn't like weapons,” pointed out Monkey with a groan.

 

“No, she doesn't like gu-er, bows,” corrected Crane with a flutter, tapping her beak to one of the many magic mirrors scattered around the floating island. “She has been known to use knives, her hands, a staff, and...darts? Huh.” Shifting slightly, Crane settled back again with a shrug. “You could build her one of those, right?'

 

“Perhaps I can build something better,” stated Monkey, perking up almost immediately. He darted to his drawing board and began rapidly sketching. He had the perfect idea: a weapon she could carry with ease that was small enough to hide but that could be big enough to be of use.

 

It took Monkey nearly a week of almost constant work before his gift for Dragon was complete. When it was done, he wrapped his gift carefully and set it aside. Now, he just had to figure out how to give it to her.

 

That was the hard part of course: how was he going to present her with the gift? It was a complicated matter he would have to contemplate. But his excitement was over-whelming, so much so that he just wanted to run and find her immediately. With that thought in mind, Monkey left his gift hidden away in his workshop and went to find Dragon.

 

He found Dragon ten minutes later in the gym, going through her Tai Chi routine, as she did each morning. His palms begin to sweat as he watched her move through her morning exercises. She was beautiful, her strength tempered with each move and her body controlled through sheer will. But it wasn't her control that Monkey loved: it was her strength and deep capacity to care, even if the latter was tempered by grief and guilt.

 

His heart beat faster as she twisted through the familiar moves. Crane was suspiciously absent, but Monkey paid little mind to the abnormality. Crane occasionally missed mornings if she had other work to do.

 

“You know, you could go talk to her.” Monkey jumped half out of his skin as a voice suddenly spoke up behind him. Spinning, he found himself face to face with Crane. She gave him a little smile, touched with the same sadness that seemed to hover around her most of the time now. “She doesn't actually bite. And before you object- it was a surprise to me, too.”

 

Monkey gulped a little, glancing back at Dragon. “Now? She's doing Tai Chi though, I'll just come back-” But Monkey never got a change to finish his sentence or walk away.

 

Crane turned him around and pushed him firmly int the room with Dragon just as she executed a turn that had her facing him. Dragon didn't flinch at his sudden appearance, just kept moving through her forms. Monkey stood nervously before her, hands gripped behind his back. What was he supposed to say? To do? He hadn't thought through how he would actually broach the subject of her gift with her, regardless of his intentions to during his search.

 

Silence stretched uncomfortably through the room: Monkey frozen in place while Dragon continuing to move as if this weren't awkward for her.

 

Finally, Monkey cleared his throat and prayed he wasn't about to say something stupid. “Um, good morning Dragon.”

 

Dragon glanced at him, stepped through one more series of moves, and dropped to a resting position. “Morning.”

 

“How has your morning been?” he asked, shuffling a bit uncomfortably.

 

She shrugged a little, turning to grab her water. “Uneventful.”

 

Monkey nodded and shifted uncomfortably again, his words rapidly depleting. “Better than eventful I suppose...” Silence settled over them again as Monkey struggled not to say something stupid. It didn't work for long. It was only through great luck he didn't said something about her gift. “You know, Tai Chi has five schools.”

 

“I'm aware,” assured Dragon, though a touch of a smile tugged at her lips. “It's T'ai Chi Ch'uan, by the way.”

 

“Oh,” murmured Monkey, a blush blooming across his cheeks. Clearing his throat, he fiddled with his hands behind his back. “What school do you use?”

 

“Wu Hao,” replied Dragon, gulping a bit of water and rolling out her shoulders.

 

Monkey nodded slowly, shuffling a little as he scrounged for something else to say. “Does it help? T'ai chi has been cited for its health benefits.”

 

Dragon smirked a bit. “You've been speaking to Cat.”

 

The blush that covered Monkey's cheeks burned enough that he knew it was visible. He was making a fool of himself and he knew it. He needed to escape.

 

His thoughts drew to a halt when Dragon moved back into the middle of the room and motioned Monkey to join her. He approached quietly, gulping a bit as she shifted into a stance.

 

“Start here,” stated Dragon, a touch of a smile tugging at her lips. When he didn't manage to move after a moment though, she nodded at him encouragingly. “Try it.”

 

“Oh!” exclaimed Monkey. “Right. Um...” He examined her for a moment, noting how she was standing, before slowly trying to twist his own body into the same stance. He barely kept his balance. “Like this?”

 

Dragon examined him for a moment before she dropped her own stance and stepped forward, carefully rearranging his limbs. “Legs further apart. Bring your arms up here.” A moment later, she stepped back again and nodding. “Better.”

 

Monkey gulped a little, just trying not to fall over. “I feel a little unstable.”

 

“That's normal at first,” assured Dragon. “Slowly extend your left arm.”

 

Doing as he was told, Monkey attempted to extend his left arm. But Monkey wasn't a warrior and his tentative balance deserted him almost immediately. He fell to the right, attempting to balance and over balancing instead.

 

Two hands landed on his shoulders, steadying him with ease. Dragon's voice held mirth when she spoke. “Move slower.”

 

“Slower,” repeated Monkey with a deep breath before he tried again.

 

She walked him through the motions carefully and they spent half an hour practicing before Dragon excused herself to navigate. It was only after she left that Monkey realized he'd forgotten what he'd come to speak to her about. It was good he'd left her gift in his workshop, otherwise it would have been embarrassing.

 

Leaving the gym, Monkey tried to think of another way to approach her. He didn't just want to call her down to his workshop, he wanted her to know he'd built something for her. That it was special and not just practical.

 

As he walked by the kitchen and caught sight of Hare cooking, an idea suddenly came to him. Quickly, he ran back to his workshop to grab his gift. He'd found the perfect way to give it to her.

 

Half an hour later, Monkey found Dragon in the navigation room. She was leaning over a table, obsidian and ivory scales shinning in the light of the lamps above. Monkey's breath caught as he looked at her, unable to move. He was always stunned by her beauty and the power that radiated from her form. She frequently left him breathless.

 

“Did you need something, Monkey?” asked Dragon without glancing up, eyes remaining on the maps before her as she magically navigated the floating island they called home towards their next destination.

 

“No-” Monkey's voice cracked as he spoke, forcing him to clear his throat and try again. “No, I mean, I just wanted to bring you a cup of tea.” He held out the cup with one hand, offering it to her with a nervous smile.

 

Dragon raised an eyebrow but walked across the room to accept the cup all the same. “Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome,” replied Monkey, crossing the room to the map they navigated by. “Where are we heading?”

 

“Crane thinks she found an artifact in the mountains,” explained Dragon, sipping at the tea calmly near the door. She didn't like bringing liquids into the room with her, weary a bump could spill the liquid and damage their map. “Panda wants to investigate.”  
  


“An artifact?” asked Monkey, walking around the map until his back was to Dragon. As subtly as he could, he fished her gift from his jacket and lay it on the map along with a letter. He knew that he couldn't say what he wanted to; every time he tried as he'd made her tea, just the thought of trying to tell Dragon how he felt made his throat tight. So he'd written what he wanted to say down as best he could, hoping it would be enough.

 

“Yes, an artifact,” confirmed Dragon, her cup clicking as she set it aside on a table beside the door.

 

He could hear her footfalls behind him as she again approached the map and quickly moved away, towards the door. “Well then, I guess I should go speak with Crane and find out what she found, eh?” He laughed a little, trying to hide his nerves as he half bolted from the room, afraid of her reaction. “I'll see you later, Dragon.”

 

Before she could say more or respond, he was half way down the hall and headed for the workshop. His feet forced him to a stop though, his pride and courage dragging him to a halt. Despite his fears, he couldn't bring himself to keep moving. It wasn't brave and, even though he wasn't the bravest monkey ever, he wouldn't run from this either. His mum had taught him better than that.

 

Forcing himself to turn back around, Monkey crept back towards the door, listening carefully as he moved. But no sound came from the room, no indication she'd even found his gift. It was unnerving. Taking a deep breath, Monkey peeked around the edge of the room.

 

Dragon was standing back over the map, eyes turned down and his present ignored on the table. The letter wasn't even opened. At first, Monkey thought she might not have noticed the gift, but a moment later she was forced to pick up and move the device. He couldn't figure out why she hadn't opened it yet, though. It was actually a little bothersome (and just a touch hurtful).

 

“Are you going to come back in so I can open your letter and gift?” asked Dragon without looking up, causing Monkey to trip and curse as he fell over. How did she even know he was still there?

 

Gulping, Monkey slowly stepped back into the room, approaching the table wearily. Dragon straightened and smiled just a bit at him before reaching for the letter. She ignored the gift, standing beside the map as she read the letter.

 

Monkey could feel his heart racing, fearing rejection. The further she read, stone faced and completely unreadable, the more nervous he became. Monkey could feel his cheeks turning red, embarrassment creeping in with his nerves. He wanted to run from the room, but she had asked him to stay and he would do what she asked. He cared too much about her not to honor her request.

 

Finally, she set the letter aside and picked up the gift, her eyes never even passing over him. She fingered the poorly wrapped cylinder for a moment before carefully removing the paper. Monkey didn't think he could be more nervous until she began to slide the paper off her gift. Her fingers danced over the metal as it became visible, glinting in the light of the navigation room. Carefully, she set the paper on the table as she removed it, brow furrowing as she stared at his invention.

 

Another moment passed before she finally looked up at Monkey with a raised eyebrow. “What is it?”

 

Monkey gulped a little, hurrying forward to show her how the bo staff worked. “It's a staff. I know you don't like bows, so I thought I'd make you a staff.” The urge to babble took over then as he began pointing almost frantically at the different components of the staff. “See, it's compact, but if you press this button it'll extend both ways.” He pressed the aforementioned button, jumping a little as the ends of the staff extended almost two feet on each side. “You can hide it easily and I managed to find a way to put a gen-er, special crystal inside, so you can shock people if you hit them with the ends.”

 

Slowly, Dragon stepped back and spun the staff a little. Her fingers danced along the shaft with ease, weighing and examining the gift. A touch of a smile tugged at her lips as she settled the staff onto the navigation chart, pressing the button again to retract the ends. It slid smoothly back into the base, condensing to a size no longer than her forearm.

 

Turning to Monkey, she offered him a smile, small though it was. “Thank you, Monkey.”

 

“You're, um,” Monkey paused to clear his throat. “You're welcome.”

 

Turning back to the navigation chart, Dragon refocused on driving the island. Monkey felt his heart droop. Obviously, she didn't feel the same otherwise she would have said something. It wasn't a surprise- she was so close with Panda that he actually expected it a little. He should have known she was in love with Panda.

 

Quietly, Monkey turned towards the door to retreat back to his workshop. Building always made him feel better, maybe it would help heal his heart too.

 

“Monkey?” Dragon's voice stopped him in the doorway, drawing his attention back to her. She was still looking at the map, but there was a shift in her stance. She looked tense. “The next town we're heading to, I know a good restaurant. If you want, I can show you where it is.”

 

Monkey felt his heart skip a beat. She was inviting him out to a place that she knew about. She was sharing part of herself with him, even if it was just a restaurant she was fond of. Every ounce of sadness and depression he'd been feeling moments ago fled in the face of the joy bubbling up inside his chest.

 

“Well?” Again, Dragon's voice drew him back to awareness. She was looking at him now, her face sonic and unreadable again. “Do you want me to show you?”

 

“Yes!” agreed Monkey quickly, almost too quickly. His response bordered a shout. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks as Dragon gave him a raised eyebrow, clearing his throat and repeating his answer in a more reasonable tone. “Yes, I would.”

 

Dragon nodded once, turning her attention back to the map. “Tomorrow night, then.”

 

“Tomorrow night,” agreed Monkey, his own grin splitting his face as he turned to leave the room. His spirits were up and he was determined beyond all else to win Dragon's heart.

 

\----------------------------

 

“Which story is it tonight?”

 

Grant nearly jumped out of his skin, turning from the cracked opened door to find Trip was standing at the top of the stairs. The other specialist had a glass of what looked like blended, rotted bananas. It didn't look appealing at all and, not for the first time, Grant was grateful both he and Skye had agreed to not have children. Not that he wouldn't do the same thing as Trip if Skye was pregnant, but still.

 

Trip raised an eyebrow when Grant didn't respond, then glanced at the glass in his hands and made his own face. “Yeah, I know, looks disgusting.”

 

“What is it?” asked Grant wearily, eying the concoction like it might bite them.

 

“Reese's cups, vanilla ice cream, a pickle, and lemon sorbet,” replied Trip, making a face as he listed off the ingredients. “I don't even ask anymore, I just do what I'm told.”

 

“Smart,” muttered Grant, shaking his head and glancing back into the room.

 

Trip did the same. “So what story is it?”

 

“The one about Fitz and May falling in love,” replied Grant, shaking his head sadly.

 

“Ouch,” muttered Trip, wincing in sympathy. “I don't honestly know how he does it. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to talk about Jemma at all, much less tell fantasy stories about her.”

 

Grant shrugged a little, pushing away from the door and starting down the hall. “I think it's different if you have a kid.”

 

“Maybe,” sighed Trip, heading down the hall with Grant. “Still can't imagine doing it, though.”

 

“Just don't let Jemma pull a move like May did and you'll never have to worry about it,” reminded Grant, though a scowl broke across his face. He was still mad at May, just like Coulson was.

 

“Trust me, Jemma is never going to be in a situation like that,” stated Trip firmly as he reached the door to the sleeping quarters he shared with the biochemist. “It's Skye I'd worry about doing something stupid.”

 

“I'd throw myself in front of her before I let her do what May did,” declared Grant, shaking his head. “It sounds stupid, but I wouldn't want to live without her.”

 

“I feel the same way about Jemma,” assured Trip with a shake of his head. “Man, from the woods of Wyoming to this, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” chuckled Grant darkly. “We've come a long way.”

 

“Hey, at least we're human now,” pointed out Trip, tipping the glass a little at the other specialist before offering him a half salute. “Night man.”

 

“Night Trip,” parted Grant with a touch of a smirk. “Don't let Simmons keep you up all night.”  
  


Trip just grinned and winked at Grant. “Hey, if she's keeping me up all night, I'm going to enjoy it.”

 

Chuckling, Grant slipped into the room he shared with Skye, nodding at her when she looked up from her computer screen. She smiled sadly back, knowing exactly where he'd been. She knew he checked on both Fitz and Mel every night- he's promised May he'd look after them both and he wasn't going to stop unless he was dead. Promises to the dead, especially dead people he respected, were promises he would always work to keep.

 

He didn't say anything as he entered the room, just pulled his shirt over his head and headed for his side of the bed. Skye held the silence as well until he was settled with him arms curled around her waist.

 

"Which story was it tonight?" asked Skye curiously, settling back into his arms.

 

"'Dragon and Monkey fall in love'," replied Grant with a sigh, turning to press his face against Skye's throat.

 

Skye winced and set her computer aside, settling into bed with Grant. His arms curled around her waist and drew her close- closer than normal. Skye never complained though; she knew it was Grant's reaction to Fitz's story. May's death had been so sudden and heartbreaking, it wasn't a surprise that Grant hugged her more tightly when Fitz told stories about May.

 

“Do you think he'll ever stop using the farm animals?” asked Grant, lifting his head to meet Skye's eyes.

 

“First of all, they're Chinese characters,” corrected Skye, shrugging a bit as she settled more against Grant. “And second, probably, if he can ever talk about May without crying.”

 

“What do you think Mel will do when she realizes the stories are true?” asked Grant with a yawn. “When she finds out Monkey is her dad and Dragon is her mom?”

 

Again, Skye shrugged and shifted closer to Grant. “I don't know, but I hope Fitz starts telling her soon. He needs to talk about these things just as much as she does and stop spinning them into these fantasy stories that feel unreal.”

 

Grant nodded, his mind trailing off as he shifted more towards Skye. “Yeah, he does.”  
  


Smiling sadly, Skye settled against Grant's body. “Maybe some day he'll tell her the truth.”

 

“She'll start asking soon.” pointed out Grant, his eyes sliding closed. “And then, he's not going to have a choice.”

 

“I guess not,” murmured Skye quietly. “I just hope he knows what he's doing.”

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

“Did Monkey win her heart daddy?” asked Mel around a yawn as Leo finished his story, eyes closed and voice sleepy.

 

Leo chuckled softly, stroking a bit of hair out of his daughter's eyes as the familiar pain began to set in following the heart-warming memory. “Yes, he did. Dragon and Monkey were happy for many, many years and even had a beautiful daughter.”

 

“That's good,” murmured Mel softly. Her voice was slipping towards sleep, her head settling into her pillows. “They should be happy.”

 

“Yes, they should,” agreed Leo, his throat tightening painfully. Leaning over, he dropped a kiss to his daughter's forehead and carefully climbed off the bed. She barely shifted, having drifted off to sleep in the blink of an eye. Smiling a bit, he tucked her blanket around her and crept to her door.

 

Slipping into the hall, Leo closed her bedroom door quietly and turned towards his own room. A flick of a shadow caught his eye much further down the hall, but he ignored it. Most likely it was Ward or Trip, walking through before they went to bed. Both men were security paranoid, not that he blamed them. Their paranoia was probably the only reason he wasn't more paranoid.

 

Entering his room beside Mel's, Leo dropped heavily onto the queen bed inside and just sat there for a moment. He could feel the pain rising again, the longing cutting deep as it did every time. Without thought, he reached for the photograph on his bedside table. May's head was somewhat ducked as she held and cooed at Mel. It was from the day their daughter was born; May still looked disheveled and worn from giving birth, but he wasn't sure she ever looked more beautiful. It was cliché, but true.

 

“Oh Melinda,” murmured Leo, his fingers brushing her image in the photograph. “I wish you could see her. You'd be so proud and she looks so much like you...” His words trailed off as he stared at the photo, just brushing his fingers over May's face repeatedly. As he lay back still holding the photo, Leo reminded himself that he needed to set the frame back on the nightstand; he still had scars from when he'd fallen asleep holding the photo before and the glass had broken while he slept. But he couldn't let go of the photo, not tonight, not when he missed her so dearly. “I love you, Melinda. We both do. We miss you so much....”

 

Again his words trailed off as tears began to press against the corners of his eyes. This time, Leo let the water run down his face as the pain overflowed. He let his breathing catch as he gave into the tears and longing. He knew in the morning there would be no sign of the tears, but for now he let them spill and wash away a little bit of the pain he always carried. He cried as he fell asleep, the photo from beside his bed pressed against his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> The characters are as follows:
> 
> Monkey- Fitz
> 
> Dragon- May
> 
> Crane- Skye
> 
> Panda- Coulson
> 
> Cat- Simmons
> 
> Dog- Ward
> 
> Hare- Trip
> 
> Snake- Garrett
> 
> And I'm sure everyone can guess who the Hydra is.
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this insanity.


End file.
